The Oppression
by charmandertreecko
Summary: A new generation of Pokemon must save the world from Master Darkrai's tyranny.
1. Prologue: Death of a Hero

**Hey, I'm back! After immersing myself yet again in the world of my original story, The Oppression, I began writing a new story based off that world. However, after a couple of chapters of writing, I knew the original needed a long awaited update as I was a terrible writer when I made the original series. So now, I am rewriting the original series and removing **_**A Shadow Looms **_**for the time being. Unlike the original, there will be accurate descriptions and characters, a plot that makes more sense, character development and I'm hoping It will turn out as epic as I plan. Though the original In my mind was pretty cool, the writing was not clear enough to give anyone entertainment besides the author. I hope you enjoy this rewrite of my series. Without further ado, let us begin.**

A dark shadow spread over the desert, confounding the sight from all who dwelled in it. Armies razed through villages, terrorizing and pillaging at every turn. The army front lines were led by some of the most dangerous, evil, and sadistic Pokemon in all of the known lands. They were petty assassins, rogue warriors, and thieves. They were known by two words that were hallowed throughout the land by all who were free: the Shrouded Soldiers.

It was midday when the shadow came, swallowing the desert with their shadowy whims and desires. The sun was blotted out so no light would even shed on the now tattered and torn landscape. Most of the residing Pokemon had fled the area, hoping to find refuge from this terrible onslaught. The Shrouded Soldiers continued to wreak havoc, unchecked and without the slightest mercy. Anyone foolish enough to stay in their way would meet their permanent end. It seemed nothing could stop these marauding warriors.

At least, that's what Master Darkrai, the leader of the Shrouded Soldiers and conqueror of many lands that was feared by many. Just by looking at this nasty piece of work, you would know instantly that he was the mastermind of this great evil. His pitch dark skin contrasted with a large red mouth and cold blue eyes. He stood on two, stilt like feet that came out of a jagged waist. He had flowing white hair that always stood up despite any wind, and to top it off he had a torn red cape. He was truly the embodiment of evil itself.

"I'm telling you, Colonel Weavile, that this is our most successful assault we have had in years!" The dark ruler proclaimed, clenching his fists. Colonel Weavile, the purple bodied, red eared and dastardly sharp clawed hands and feet who stood next to the Master shrugged and nodded.

"Don't you think it's kind of odd that those wretched meddlers haven't shown up yet?" Colonel Weavile suggested, scratching his head, careful not to scrape or cut his own face.

Darkrai laughed and then smiled at Weavile and said, "I think they turned tail and ran back home after their humiliating defeat at Storm Plains."

"I don't know, Master." The Weavile said uneasily. "Claws is not one to easily give up. He'll pursue us to the edge of the earth until this force is history."

Darkrai started to reply but then stopped as one of his messengers, a rather nervous, mud colored Cubone approached, watching his every step as if there were traps ready to spring at every step. Darkrai whirled and proceeded to smash his fist against the Cubone's bone helmet, turning the messenger's knees to jelly and causing him to collapse. But the Master wasn't done yet. Grabbing the Cubone by the scruff of the neck he hauled the Pokemon very close to his face at eye level.

"This better be _terribly _important!" The Darkrai growled ferociously. "You have interrupted the conversation between me and my Colonel! I could have you executed for this!"

The Cubone tried to speak but could only manage a small whimper. Enraged, Darkrai slammed the Cubone into a nearby stone cliff.

"Spit it out you miserable excuse for a messenger!" Darkrai fumed.

"Sergeant Fangbone told me to tell you that Scythe Plains has arrived!" The Cubone said nervously, expecting to meet an untimely end at the hands of the fiend.

"Scythe Plains, you say? Don't you mean Claws?" Master Darkrai asked quizzically.

The Cubone shook his head and said with tears streaming from his eyes, "All of them! There is Claws, Scaler, Trident, Beak, and even Ivymore!"

Darkrai threw the Cubone aside impatiently, who scuttled away as quickly as he could. He turned to the bored looking Weavile and said, "Well, looks like we have quite a twist in our plans. Why don't you tell Fangbone, Weavile, to prepare the white flag of truce? I believe it is time I had a chat with my dear friend Claws." He said with a devilish smile forming on his face.

"Enemy forces in sight!" Talons, the tan feathered, owl like Noctowl advisor of General Claws hooted. "Will we engage them?"

Claws, orange skinned and blue winged Charizard stood on a ridge, behind him standing his own personal army he owned among the Scythe Plains War Council. Turning to his advisor, and back to the battlefield, he shrugged.

"I'd prefer not to lose unnecessary losses against an army that is three time bigger than ours. What's the terrain like?" The Charizard asked his assistant.

Talons did a quick study flyby of the desert, returning a few seconds later. "Scorched, lots of sand fused to glass, most villages up in flames. Our enemy seems to get even more merciless every time we meet them." He said with clear sarcasm on the last sentence.

"We'll need to take care of those fires. Civilian safety is our top priority. We'll send… What is he doing? What's wrong with that arrogant Empoleon?" Claws growled angrily.

"What is it sir?" Talons asked in question.

"We are trying to live out this war, and Trident is just charging forward like there is no tomorrow!" Claws said, a little more calmly this time. But his anger was still clear. "I need you, Talons to direct the army with Beak. I'm going to go stop Trident!" Without another word, the general took off, catching the wind with his thin blue wings.

As the Charizard general flew above the scorched battleground, he noticed that Trident was leading his forces of water Pokemon through the remains of a once bustling trading town. Bits of shattered merchandise littered the street, the only intact thing in the town. Lighting down next to Trident, who was surprised to see the Charizard leader here, stopped.

The Empoleon was unlike most Empoleons. Instead of his usual blue coloring, he had a sort of turquoise skin, along with a light silver lining on the edges of his flightless penguin wings. His talons were a light orange color and he had an unusually sharp Empoleon crown that nearly hid his light blue eyes. Those eyes bore into Claws, with a look of confusion encompassing all other emotion.

"…Claws? What are you doing here? I thought you were back there commanding your own army?" Trident asked in confusion.

"Call off your attack! We can't afford to charge head on into the strongest army in the world? Who will fight for peace when we recklessly sacrifice our own armies?" Claws demanded.

"We can't afford to not take this opportunity! There is an opening in their right flank! There is a small chance that if we concentrate our forces there, we can go in to their ranks and smash everything in their camps!" The Empoleon argued fiercely. Though it may not look like it, Claws and Trident was best friends since their childhood.

"A ten year old war can't be decided by this small chance. You need to think these things through!" Claws shot back almost instantly.

Defeated, the Empoleon called to his forces, "Stop! Fall Back!" His forces instantly turned around as Shrouded Soldiers began to climb over the wreckage of the village to confront them. A ball of fire from Claws mouth quickly dispelled the soldiers. Trident, meanwhile, kept a squad of Murkrow away with a stream of water that had more force than a full force punch from a Machamp.

"We should get out of here!" Claws barked over the sounds of the march of the Shrouded Soldiers. Trident shook his head.

"I think we'll be just fine!" Trident replied. He gestured to the sky above and saw the form of a tan and brown feathered bird with a short red beak carrying a green, humanoid Pokemon with twin blades sprouting from its wrists. It had a red underbelly that matched his red cheeks and mouth. It was a Sceptile and a Pidgeot, ones that were very familiar to the Charizard and Empoleon.

"It's Scaler and Beak!" Claws said with a grin. The Pidgeot deftly swooped down and landed next to the two surprised but very happy generals. The Sceptile climbed off the Pidgeot, scratching his head.

"Looks like you two could use some help." Scaler said in his small but confident voice.

Claws nodded, saying, "Trident decided to pull on ahead without us. Now all of the enemy army knows we are here!"

"They already knew we were here in the first place." Beak chimed in.

"Yeah, I guess that nothing was really lost." The Charizard general replied as he scanned the enemy lines approaching. "Looks like the Shrouded Soldiers are not too happy that we thrashed their friends."

Scaler shook his head and pointed his reptilian finger at the army's white flag. "Nope, looks like Darkrai wants to have a little chat." He said. "This could be bad. We are going to have to face Darkrai alone. This could all be a ruse to trap us and destroy us."

Before they could move to summon their own armies and bodyguards, Darkrai's army surrounded the five generals. An elite force of Nidoking, Blastoise, and Aggron made up the personal bodyguard that surrounded the Master Darkrai, who was also flanked by Weavile.

Darkrai raised his hand, a signal for his personal guard to leave his presence. However, Weavile still remained his claws primed and ready.

"Why it's General Claws…what a _pleasant _surprise. It's very interesting that you are not surrounded with your normal repertoire of bodyguards." Darkrai said in a chillingly calm voice.

Claws stepped forward, his temper rising inside of him. "You know I'm no coward. You can strike me down right now and I will fall without any fear in my heart!" He growled as his advisor Talons landed next to the Charizard general.

"Sir, the army is on its way." Talons whispered, his gazed fixed on the sadistic Darkrai.

"Call them off. I will have no lives lost today on my behalf!" Claws commanded. "I know this is my final battle. It will not be our army's final one as well!"

"Claws, Claws, _Claws_… so brave…so courageous…so very, very foolish! You will fall!" Darkrai moved with blinding speed and slashed at the Charizard general, who nimbly dodged the attack and retaliated with a burst of flame from his mouth. Darkrai shrugged the fire off and began charging up a sphere of dark energy. Claws flew at Darkrai who released the shadowy energy and caused the Charizard to be trapped in a cell of shadow. It took only seconds for Claws to break through.

Meanwhile, Trident had fallen victim to Weavile's claws, a large gash visible in his turquoise stomach as the Empoleon continued to fight on. Scaler was lying, unmoving, a scar stretching from his face to his red underbelly, blood oozing from the wound. Beak was tending to the fallen Sceptile, already knowing that the general was on the verge of death. It was a terrible sight as the surrounded Shrouded Soldiers cheered their ruler and colonel on.

Claws, though uninjured so far, was growing tired. He had dodged three shadow balls and three slashes from the fiend's jagged claws. But the evil ruler was unwavering, launching attack after attack. The Scythe Plains general, however, hardly had gotten in any attacks in this barrage of lightning fast strikes.

"You're weakening, Claws!" Master Darkrai said with a wicked grin.

Claws didn't respond, huffing and puffing as he tried to regain his breath and composure. He was indeed weakening, but soon he would enter a failsafe defense that all Charizard possessed, powering up his fire attacks greatly. _That is_ _if I can survive to that moment from this menace. _The Charizard thought as he rose into the air for his final confrontation. Talons, who was aware of what was about to happen, swooped through the air over to Claws.

"Sir, you don't have to do this! We can always escape to fight another day!" The advisor spoke over the cheers over the soldiers.

Claws looked at the Noctowl with steely determination. "There will be another day. But I won't be the one to fight. It will be a new generation of leaders to free the lands from Darkrai's tyranny!"

Talons paused, realizing what he was speaking of. "You mean Draco?" The owl asked, referring to the Charizard general's son.

"Yes. Now go! Leave this place! Pass the word among the army to leave this place and go back to Scythe Plains. Play on defensive until the new generation of heroes is ready. Go!" Claws handed Talons a map wrapped in a leather covering. Talons took the map and examined it curiously. Claws said his voice weak, "This is what Darkrai wants. Keep it safe. Now go, fly!"

Talons took off as a burst of shadow energy hit the Charizard, staggering his flight. Talons flew wearily towards where the Scythe Plains army waited. Meanwhile, Claws had reached his limit. His eyes turned red and his body reached amazing temperatures. He opened his mouth and a raging inferno spewed from his maw, trapping Darkrai effectively and burning him. Claws kept up the assault, overcome by instinct.

Trident had fallen, lying in a puddle of blood, slain by Weavile. Beak and Scaler were also lying nearby, also killed by the evil colonel. Claws was the only one remaining, but on the verge of collapse. He seemed to actually intensify his attack for a moment as Weavile sliced his throat. The Charizard fell, already dead before he hit the ground. The Darkrai was suddenly released from the inferno and fell to the ground. Quickly recovering, he stood over the dead body of Claws.

The Master of the Shrouded Soldiers laughed maniacally as his soldiers cheered for him. Weavile, though he had killed all four of the generals, seemed to get little to no attention. His jealousy grew inside of him, almost to the point of taking action. He then stopped himself.

_Someday I will have my vengeance. _The colonel thought, a plan already forming in his mind.

Talons flew far ahead of the army as the desert terrain quickly changed into a lush but dark forest. Dark clouds still blotted out the sky, and a torrent rain pelted his feathers. Loud cracks of thunder boomed, just like the conflict going on in his mind. His closest, dearest friends were all dead. It seemed all hope was lost. And that wasn't very far from the truth.

Far ahead of him, he could see the land change again to tall, light green grasses and the green, bug like Scyther moving about the plain. It was Scythe Plains. Dominating the distant skyline was a large, gray stoned fortress surrounded by many smaller, widespread villages. Talons himself lived in one of these villages, with his wife and two children. Soon, he reached the fortress, swooping into one of the larger windows into a long hall dominated by a large door at its end. Its columns that held up its roof all had short poles with red flags on them. The red flags all had a two scythes crossed like an X, the Scythe Plains insignia. The door at the far end was guarded by two green leaf covered, humanoid, and white haired Roserades. Talons landed and walked on his two feet over to the door.

"Please enter, advisor Talons." The two Pokemon said in unison as they opened the door.

Talons strode, downcast into the room. It was a lot larger than he remembered as it used to only accommodate one Pokemon. As three more moved in, it was expanded. It had a red and gold colored carpet, and two bunk beds each with two bunks.

In one of the bunks, a small, blue and white colored penguin with a yellow beak and short webbed feet sat. In the one above it, a small tan and brown feathered bird with pink claws and angled eyebrows also perched. A green skinned, red bellied and yellow eyed reptile was clinging onto the bedpost of the lower bunk of the second bed. And finally, an orange lizard with a tan belly, stubby legs and arms, a tail with a burning flame on its tip, and finally a pair of deep blue eyes on its face.

The orange lizard, a Charmander, stood and looked at Talons. "Uncle Talons! Where's dad? Is he home yet?" The Charmander asked energetically.

Talons sighed and looked at all the other Pokemon, who were now climbing from their bunks. The green reptile, a Treecko, leapt nimbly off the bunk and next to the Charmander. The blue penguin, a Piplup, lazily got up to greet the Noctowl. The tan bird, a Pidgey, continued to sit on its perch but its attention was now fixated on Talons.

"Its…it's complicated, you see, Draco." Talons said quietly.

"You can tell us, Talons!" The Charmander, Draco exclaimed with a light of innocence in his blue eyes.

Talons looked at the Pokemon surrounding him, Draco, Razor the Piplup, Blade the Treecko, and Ace, the Pidgey. They were all so innocent, so young. Now they would have to face news that would change their life forever.

"My sons, I'm afraid your parents… have passed." Talons said in regret this time.

A wave of silence passed over the room. The four young Pokemon were very close to their fathers as their mothers had already passed, especially Draco who could hardly remember his mother and knew his father Claws all of his life.

The four Pokemon began to sob quietly, and even Talons was streaming tears.

"Who could have done this?" Draco bawled.

Talons paused for a moment, wiping the tears from his face. "It was Weavile. It was Weavile and Darkrai." Talons croaked, his voice overcome with emotion.

The Charmander rose to full height from his seated position. Though tears still streamed from Draco's eyes, his face became hard and serious. "I promise that I will live up to my father's legacy and become a general someday. I will make my father proud!" He proclaimed.

All of the sudden, Talons realized there was still hope. _Hope in this Charmander. Hope In these young ones. _Then he added, _especially this Charmander._

Meanwhile, in a fortress hundreds of miles away in the Shrouded Plains, stronghold of the Shrouded Soldiers, Darkrai sat in his throne chamber and brooded. His throne was as twisted and dark as the evil rulers mind, and his room seemed to exude dark and unearthly properties. It was a perfect chamber for an evil mastermind such as himself.

"Curse Claws for his cleverness! Entrusting that Noctowl with what I seek. The map to the key of ultimate power has eluded me once again! The power of legends is destined to be mine! This I swear or my name isn't…" Master Darkrai stopped, thinking he heard something. He dismissed it as a movement of a Pokemon in a nearby room. But truthfully, it was something far more sinister.

It was Colonel Weavile, concealing himself in the shadows, invisible to the naked eye. _Ultimate power, he says. I'll just have to see to that myself._ He thought as his master plan became clear. Soon, it would be Weavile on that throne, not the tyrant Darkrai.

And that would be such a good thing, either.

**Well, what do you think? I think I did a much better job than most of my recent stories. Since I am on summer vacation, I will be updating pretty frequently. Please let me know what you think by reviewing my story!**


	2. Trouble in the Forest Part 1

**Here we go! In this chapter, the story begins to heat up as Draco, Blade, Razor, and Ace begin their training under guidance of Talons. I'm really hoping to convey the experience and skill of Talons as their mentor. If you haven't already, please review my prologue and let me know how I'm doing! Thanks!**

**Outskirts of Scythe Plains**

As the sun slowly rose over the treetops in the horizons, Draco groaned in exhaustion as Talons lead himself, Blade, Razor, and Ace on a seemingly harrowing journey to the outlying wood that surrounded Scythe Plains, the Spear Forest. The tall green grass swayed in a light breeze, brushing the grass against his reptilian skin. It had been weeks since his father's demise, and starting not long after, his training to become general someday suddenly intensified. Along with Blade, Razor, and Ace, they had been carted off to training camps everywhere possible, teaching them battle strategies, survival, and of course, valuable life lessons.

Today was their first real assignment. Talons had told the head trainer, Hitmonchan, that he would accompany them as their mentor until the four were deemed ready. And It was also because though Hitmonchan was a great teacher, he could get a little carried away with the basics and not deal with the fundamentals. Normally, Draco would be excited on such an occasion, as his 'uncle' was his mentor and they were on their first assignment, but waking up before the crack of dawn had a way of demoralizing him. How would he focus if all his body wanted to do was sleep?

Blade, his eyes half closed yawned and spoke groggily, "Are we there yet…"

Talons snorted. "That's the fourth time you've asked in the past five minutes! You need to buck up and focus! We are going to be out for a long time!" Talons seemed to be a fountain of energy, though it was not even dawn yet and most of Scythe Plains was still asleep. Apparently not these trainees, though.

Blade groaned loudly as Ace glided not far above him. "Lucky." Blade spat. "All you have to do is catch the wind and glide."

Ace flew closer down toward Blade, who was walking angrily next to Razor. "Not really _lucky._" He shot back. "I have to pool all my energy into keep on track. And unfortunately, I can't sweat. So next time, Blade, think from a bird's perspective."

Talons turned toward the group. "Now all of you, I'm sure your tired and grumpy, but _no _arguing. A general could never be great if constantly arguing with his peers."

"A general can never be great if he doesn't get his sleep." Razor whispered, mimicking the owl Pokémon's voice.

As the group trudged on, more grumpy comments were exchanged between Razor, Blade, and Ace. Draco mostly kept quiet, keeping to himself. That's mostly the way he had been since he had heard of his father's death. He would normally be more…energetic than the rest, but lately his emotions had been heavily conflicted like a raging forest fire. Maybe it was mostly his father's death…or it was stress.

_They expect me to be some Great War leader! How can I pull this off when I'm just a Charmander? I want to live up to my father's legacy, but how can I do so with all I have to live up to? _Draco thought, trudging after the rest of the group in a slow, steady pace.

Ace flew next to Draco, a witness to the Charmander's inner conflict. "Are you alright? You seem kind of down lately."

Draco said, "Well… it's just that…"

"We're here, trainees!" Talons hooted, cutting off the remainder of Draco's sentence. They were indeed at the edge of the Spear forest, the dark shades of green separating itself from the light green grasses of Scythe Plains. The trees seemed to tower many feet taller than the assembled Pokemon, dwarfing them in size. It was a sight as welcoming as the fortress of the Shrouded Soldiers as the branches seemingly tried to reach out and strangle them like long, jagged arms.

Blade smiled. "Ah, it's going to be great to be back in the forest again! Let's hurry in and…" The Treecko stopped, as if forgetting something.

Razor finished for him. "What exactly are we doing, Talons?" He asked, as none of them quite knew the answer to the question yet.

The Noctowl glided amongst the wind currents smoothly. "It's called surveillance. To be a good general one day, one must know the burdens of being a scout and a messenger. Now our scouts have detected enemy activity in the forest, most notably Shrouded Soldiers. Also, a number of petty thieves and crooks have been taking advantage of our absence due to the war. We are here to stop them."

Draco was stunned at the mention of Shrouded Soldiers. _Shrouded Soldiers here? _He thought in astonishment. "Uncle, how will we defeat thieves who have been stealing and battling all their lives? Let alone Shrouded Soldiers? We are trainees!" He interjected.

Talons laughed heartily. "Of course you'll be able to defeat thieves! I said petty thieves, who have been stealing a lot, true, but they prefer not to fight and get their grubby little hands dirty. They leave that to the Shrouded Soldiers. Anyway, even in the case of Shrouded Soldiers, you four are the best trainees in your class! You'll do great!" Talons landed on one of the jagged branches. "Now shall we begin?" Flying at a slow pace so the four tired Pokemon could keep up, he entered the forest.

Blade was nimbly leaping from tree to tree, allowing his instincts to take over as he immersed himself in the forest environment. Razor was leery of the wild grass Pokemon that lived here, as they were his natural weakness. He stuck close to Talons for comfort. Ace was on the ground now, trudging through the foliage with relative ease. Meanwhile Draco walked near the head of group with Talons, still petrified inside about the Shrouded Soldiers.

_Even though Talons tried to help, I still feel pretty terrified of Shrouded Soldiers in the area, with Talons or no Talons, they are still some of the most brutal Pokemon in the known world! How can we be expected to defeat the very same people who have conquered most of the known lands? _Draco's mind was buzzing with fear and self-doubt as the group pushed through the forest, their senses alert.

Talons stopped, wary of some unknown noise. The rest of the group stopped behind him, confused.

"Why are we stopping?" Ace asked, speaking everyone else's mind as well.

Blade, however, continued to leap from tree to tree, content that he was in his home environment.

Talons eyes widened as he saw an unseen danger. "Blade, stop it's a trap!" It was too late. Blade swung from a dark green vine as a sudden prison of flame wrapped around the Treecko, suspending him in midair. From behind the bushes, a red, yellow and orange skinned creature, walking on two clawed feet and brandishing a long yellow nose stepped out, his tiny mouth set in a devilish smile. Another figure, a white and black colored canine with blood red eyes and clawed forepaws leapt out in front of the team, its teeth barred in a sign of aggression.

"Blade, hang in there!" Razor pleaded as he looked at the scene in shock. Talons, still in the air stood between the two delinquents, a Magmar and the canine Mightyena.

"Let him go, you petty thieves!" Talons growled as rage built up inside of him.

The duo of criminals laughed at the statement. The Magmar took a step toward the group gesturing to Blade, who was still clinging to the vine as the flames singed his body. "You think this is the work of thieves? Have you ever seen a low level, thieving Magmar use a fire spin technique? Only a soldier could do that. And I mean, Shrouded Soldiers." The Magmar threatened as he took a breath to breathe a powerful flame attack.

Draco, recovering from his initial shock, leapt in front of Talons and spewed a weak ember at the soldiers face. The flame had seemingly no effect, at most making the Magmar grow even more formidable. The Magmar, however, lost control of his flame attack and lit a nearby tree ablaze, and also singing Ace as well. The Mightyena leapt a few feet in front of the Charmander, charging up a sphere of twisted, dark energy. Draco stood there as his body seemed to freeze up.

Expecting to feel a furious pain and then perhaps nothingness, he closed his eyes tightly. Instead, he heard an explosion and the sound of Talons scream. Opening his eyes, he had realized what had happened. Talons had taken a blast meant for him, as he was lying on the ground, knocked out from the ferocity and power of the shadow ball. An immense feeling of guilt suddenly washed over Draco.

_Talons took a blast meant for me! I won't have anyone else suffer on my behalf! Besides maybe these two! _The Charmander thought as he leapt at the Mightyena, embers streaming from his now gaping maw. He landed on the canine's back and slashed at his exposed but fur covered neck. The Mightyena howled in pain as he shook Draco off. The Charmander landed under the branches of the burning tree, smoke obscuring his vision.

_Then maybe I should just make more! _Draco thought as he in inhaled deeply, hard to do as the smoke filled his lungs. As he exhaled, plumes of pitch black smoke surrounded him. The Mightyena took a step back, not sure where the next attack would come from. Draco, moving quickly through the field of smoke, nearly tripped over the now passed out Razor, who had a black scorch mark on his chest, suggesting that he had challenged the Magmar and lost.

Through the haze, he could see the Magmar hanging back, concentrating on something seemingly. _He must be concentrating on Blades cage! If I can divert his concentration, maybe Blade could be freed. _Draco summoned enormous willpower as he gathered energy for an attack he had been working on for a while: dragon pulse. A ball of purple energy formed in his mouth as the smoke began to dispel. He only had moments took make this count.

Releasing the energy, it hovered briefly before he smacked it with his tail, propelling the sphere toward the Magmar. It hit the fiend square in the chest as Blade was released from his prison as the Magmar fell. Blade landed on the ground, scorched and not conscious. Draco collapsed as he had used up most of his energy. Everyone, including Talons had been knocked out by the two Shrouded Soldiers. Now, he was alone with the Mightyena.

The Mightyena grinned. "I admit your ruse was clever, but there is no way you can defeat me!" The canine taunted.

Indeed, Draco was on the verge of collapse. It was only a matter of time before he fell too. All of the Sudden, he was overcome by an amazing wave of energy. He remembered his father's words from long ago telling him of a failsafe system in every fire creature, entrusting them with great power before they fall to an opponent. _This must be that special ability! I feel so powerful, so strong! _Draco growled and opened his mouth, letting loose a powerful burst of flame. The Mightyena took a couple of steps back and opened his own mouth, howling at the top of his lungs. The flames seemed to repel from the canine as Draco seemed to be pushed back by the powerful roar.

Suddenly, he was being propelled through the air, going through trees, foliage, and other unidentified objects as Draco began to feel himself black out…

**So, what do you think? This chapter was going to be longer, but then I decided to leave it at this perfect cliffhanger! The next chapter will be about the same length as this one, but all the other chapters will be the same as the prologue. Please review this story and stay tuned for part 2!**


	3. Trouble in the Forest Part 2

**Alright, this is when the story starts unfolding. This part will be the most important out of the three so far. Draco, Razor, and Ace are all on their own as they have to track down the Mightyena and Magmar who have captured Blade. Will they prevail, or will the trio fail miserably?**

**Spear Forest Depths**

The first thing Draco saw as his eyes opened was the orange tinted sky as the sun began to set. Shaking his head groggily, the Charmander sat up, examining his surroundings. As one would guess, he was surrounded by trees and forest foliage, the norm for any for any wood. The forest was relatively peaceful as many grass variety Pokemon returned from their daily ventures to their cozy homes. Draco scratched his head as he tried to remember how he had ended up here.

_The Mightyena! _He realized. _I was fighting the Mightyena and he… blew me away, I guess. Wait, what happened to Blade, Razor, and Ace? What about Talons? _Standing up weakly, he shambled out of the bush he was lying in and leaned on a nearby tree for support. He looked around for any sign of any of his friends. Seeing none he slumped back down, angered. He slammed his fist against the tree, causing many bird Pokemon to fly out of it.

And of course, the unconscious form of Ace to tumble off one of the higher branches. Shocked, Draco rolled out of the bird Pokemon's way. Ace looked pretty bad, his feathers singed black in several places and a small nick out of his beak. While Draco himself had taken a lot of damage, all he had was a couple of scratches. Shaking his head, the Charmander went to get a closer look at Ace.

The closer perspective did nothing to raise Draco's spirits. The Pidgey's ragged and uneven, not very good signs in any case. _If only there was some way I could help…_ Just as those thoughts crossed his mind, a round and plump blue berry fell from the tree above him and hit him on top of the head. He dismissed the berry for a moment until another fell onto Ace's singed belly. _Are these what I think they are? _Draco thought as he found more of the berries on the branches above him.

Draco remembered back to his survival skills class taught by a cranky old Serperior when he was taught of these strange berries that could restore a Pokemon's energy and even accelerate the bodies healing processes. _I think he said these were called Oran berries. _The Charmander remembered as he picked to handfuls of the berries, careful to keep them away from his flaming tail as the berries seemed very sticky and gooey just be being out in the sun. He also kept a tiny handful reserved for himself to heal his own wounds.

As Draco began fed Ace the first Oran berry slowly, the Pidgey's eyes began to open, looking at Draco groggily.

"What's going on?" Ace asked hoarsely. He gratefully accepted a handful of Oran berries, chewing on them slowly. His breathing began to even out as he swallowed the berries.

"We were all beaten pretty badly by those Shrouded Soldiers. I don't know what happened to the others after Mightyena's roar." Draco answered as he helped Ace to his feet. The Pidgey stood steadily even after Draco stopped supporting him. "The berries are taking their effect. They are Oran." The Charmander said as Ace began to spread his wings.

"I think I can fly." Ace complied as he rose into the air like it was his first time flying. "But not very fast though." He added as Draco chomped on a mouthful of Oran berries. Draco nodded as he picked a couple of more and began to walk, Ace flying right behind him. They traveled westward, being careful not to disturb any wild Pokemon, as many were hostile to trained ones.

They walked for what seemed an eternity until the sun disappeared from view and the darkness of night took hold. Stopping, the two looked around as the forest began pitch dark. The only source of light was Draco's tail flame, which was small and feebly depleted from their recent battles. They were exhausted, injured, and hopelessly lost.

Despite the darkness, the two pushed on, daring not to speak above a whisper. They could hear the strange forest chirps and hoots close by, so they figured many night predators were on the hunt. It was nearing midnight when they began to hear the unearthly sound.

It was a deep, gargling noise, seeming to come from the throat more than a mouth. The noise seemed to be a groan mixed with a Pokemon's upheaving. It echoed throughout the forest, silencing Draco and Ace as they continued to search for their lost friends. A couple of minutes in, the sounds were muffled, as if someone had forcefully covered the creature's mouth.

Draco stopped, listening. He could still hear the sound, but now it seemed to only come from behind him. He turned and was met by a stream of water slamming into his body, stinging his skin and seeping into his pores. He felt like he had just been stabbed by an icicle a hundred times over as he reeled in agony over the sudden assault. Ace had stopped and flew over to Draco, standing between the Charmander and his unknown attacker.

"Oh no, Draco, I'm so sorry!" A shriek from behind the bushes became audible to Draco as he began to regain his senses. Glancing towards the bushes, he saw Razor, barely visible even in front of his tail flame, which was now wavering and flickering. Razor rushed over and helped the Charmander to his feet.

"I thought you were the Magmar coming back for me!" Razor gasped as Ace force fed Draco an Oran berry. Draco, feeling his strength return, lightly pushed Ace and Razor away.

"I'm fine, but Razor, what happened to Talons and Blade? And what do you mean, the Magmar coming back for you?" Draco questioned the Piplup.

"I can take you to Talons, but Blade…" Razor speech trailed off.

"What happened to Blade?" Ace asked.

Razor fought back tears as he said, "They took him! I had found Talons and Blade in the forest, injured when the soldiers came back! They took me out easily, and Talons was still unconscious, same with Blade. They took Blade, saying they could sell him into slavery somewhere! I tried to go after them, but it was too late. They are probably out of the forest right now!" Razor broke down, tears streaming from his eyes.

Draco went to comfort him as the Piplup sank to his knees. "Razor, snap out of it! We are going to get Blade back! Where's Talons?" He asked as he helped Razor up. The penguin Pokemon wiped the tears from his eyes and began to walk forward, pointing towards a large bush. Pushing it aside, he revealed the barely conscious form of Talons. The owl Pokemon was in bad shape. He had several gashes and cuts all over his body, fresh blood oozing from his wounds. His chest was rising and falling very fast, like Aces some time before.

Draco rushed over to the Noctowl, force feeding him Oran berries. The Noctowl accepted them wordlessly, still half unconscious from the Mightyena's shadow attack. Draco looked at Talons seemingly lifeless eyes. He was still breathing, but he seemed very beaten up. There was no way they could look after Talons and find Blade.

"Great, we're lost!" A voice rang out, as clear as crystal. The three Pokemon fell silent, listening.

"You said you knew this place! Weavile is going to have our heads if we are late!" A louder, more guttural voice appeared.

"Well maybe we would go faster if we didn't have to lug this Treecko with us! Are you sure he would fetch a good price on the slave market?" The other voice shot back, clearly the voice of the Mightyena who had attacked them earlier. The other, guttural voice seemed to be that of the Magmar.

Draco peered from behind a tree to see the two Shrouded Soldiers dragging Blade by his tail, walking blindly down the forest path.

"Look, if anything, Weavile will be pleased that we brought him a little gift." The Magmar replied. By now, Draco had had enough. He struggled to control the rage that filled his body. The idea seemed impossible, his best friend, his father's murderer's slave? He couldn't take the notion without his tail flame swelling twice his size.

"NO!" Draco leapt out from behind the tree and launched a barrage of fireballs from his maw, bouncing harmlessly off of the Magmar but singing the Mightyena. But the Charmander did not stop there. He ran over to the Magmar and slashed his chest with his sharp claws, staggering the fire Pokemon. Draco was careful not to let his own rage betray him, but a burning passion to set his friend free accounted for that.

With a feeling of triumph, Ace and Razor joined the attack. Razor blew a stream of high speed bubbles at the Magmar, who was now lying on the forest floor, almost unconscious. Ace summoned a whirlwind and launched it at the fire Pokemon, causing him to be blown into a nearby tree. The Magmar slumped, his unconscious form shadowed by an enormous tree.

Meanwhile, Draco and the Mightyena were deadlocked. They kept on exchanging fire and shadow attacks as both of the Pokemon began to tire. It would only be a matter of time before one of them fell. The Mightyena had much more experience, but in this battle, they battled as equals, Draco's attacks fueled by a desire to save Blade, and the Mightyena was simply convinced he would win the fight. His arrogance would be his own downfall.

Switching from offense to defense, Draco leapt and dodged every single shadow ball the canine launched at him. The Mightyena was beginning to tire, but Draco was chewing on a steady supply of Oran berries to keep himself energized. The Mightyena, in a rage, shot off more shadow blasts, each more off target than the last.

After a few more minutes of random shadow blasts and nimble dodges, Draco switched back to offense. Inhaling sharply, he exhaled a jet of flame that severely burnt the canine Pokemon. The Mightyena and the now recovered Magmar, turned tail and ran, this time without Blade. With a sigh of triumph, the Charmander fell to his knees, panting heavily.

As Draco began to sit up, he felt a hand slap his back. Turning, he saw Blade, though still burnt and bruised, had recovered due to Ace, who had fed him Oran berries, holding out his hand. Draco grabbed his hand and the Treecko pulled him up.

"Thanks." Draco said gratefully.

"I should be thanking you! You saved my life!" Blade replied, turning to Ace and Razor. "You guys too!" He added.

Draco looked around, confused. "Wait, where's Talons?" He asked.

"Look above you! I am a Noctowl after all!"

Looking upward, Draco saw the injured but very alive Talons.

Talons fluttered down toward the group of assembled Pokemon, obviously pleased. "You guys are heroes! You faced Shrouded Soldiers, won, and rescued your friend!" Talons praised. He then added, "Your fathers would be proud."

And yes, yes they were.

"You encountered a Noctowl? You oafs! He is the one who took the scroll! And you let him off easy?" Colonel Weavile raged at the two Shrouded Soldiers, angrier than a threatened Salamence. Backhanding the Magmar and slashing at the Mightyena's face definitely cleared up all confusion between them.

"Next time those five go on mission, you will bring the Noctowl to me! Understood?" Weavile growled. The two Shrouded Soldiers nodded in agreement, not wishing to anger their master further. Weavile turned away from them and looked at the surrounding desert plain. "The power of the legends will be mine! I swear on my own life! And the world will soon tremble at the mention of _Master _Weavile!"

**I hope I got the right effect off with this chapter. I am going on a trip for a couple days, so I might have a double, maybe triple update when I get back! Thank you all readers for your support! Please review my story and stay tuned for more chapters coming soon!**


	4. Never Give Up

**Yes, I am attempting a double update before I leave. Why, you might ask? To keep you guys entertained of course (At least if you guys think my story is entertaining, which I hope it is. You can tell me by reviewing it). Anyway, so I have the next six chapters planned out, but not written. Essentially, I have the whole story planned out, like the ending, but I am still developing the sort of rising action that leads up to it. Without further ado, here it is!**

**Courtyard of Scythe Plains Fortress**

"_However dire the situation, never give up." _

Draco groaned in pain as he rose from the ground for the seemingly hundredth time that day. And it was only noon! He had been awoken this morning after his return from his mission mission along with Ace, Blade, and Razor, who had all received different training tasks that day. However, he was stuck with the most sarcastic, strict, and most devious teacher in all of Scythe Plains: the revered Master Hitmonchan. It seemed to be pure torture in the fact that after hours of physical training, he was still expected to best the greatest fighter in the plain.

Hitmonchan, standing a couple of feet in front of him, shook his head in disappointment. "Your execution needs work. You tend to rake your claws to the right every time. If I were a Shrouded Soldier, I would probably have your head by now." He scolded as Draco struggled to his feet.

_He seems to know an awful lot about claws he doesn't even have. _Draco thought angrily as he prepared for Hitmonchan to come at him again. The fighting master stood, his seemingly slight frame, tan skinned, and red fighters garb comparably weak looking compared to burly fighting Pokemon like Machamp. But that slight frame held a strength that could fell even a mighty Steelix in one blow.

Draco dove for Hitmonchan's legs, attempting to attack the weakest part of his body. The fighting master simply stepped out of the way. Draco stood up, his claws ready. All of the sudden, a barrage of lightning fast punches sent the Charmander sprawling. Draco stood, but could not gain proper balance. His head was spinning, and he could hardly see Hitmonchan punch him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Suddenly, Hitmonchan withdrew his attack, standing over the now teary eyed Charmander. But it wasn't from his defeat; it was from the barrage of punches Hitmonchan had performed.

"That technique is called the dynamic punch. It has the secondary effect of confusing your opponent. Most normal fighters can only launch one at a time, but a few specific fighters can launch a barrage that completely disorients your opponent." Hitmonchan lectured.

Draco clutched his head, which was aching just as much as the rest of his body. "I don't think I was born for physical fighting." He said, his words seeming to morph together when they escaped his mouth.

"That is true, but that is why you must excel at it. Your nature resists against it, but it will give your foes a deadly surprise when they are hit by a couple of swift punches from a Charmander. But I do believe you have had enough physical training for the day. Go see Dit to practice your special training." Hitmonchan said as he turned and began to walk away.

"Master Chan, sir, wait up!" A voice from behind rang through their eardrums. Hitmonchan and Draco turned to see a strange figure with long, thin arms and muscular, spring like legs.

"Master Lee?" Draco said in puzzlement. Master Lee, who was a Hitmonlee, stopped in front of Master Chan, bowing in his presence.

"What is it, brother?" Hitmonchan asked sternly.

"It's Talons! He's returned from Chari-Chari, and they've lost!" Lee said in clear astonishment.

Draco let loose a loud gasp. Chari-Chari, which bordered Spear Forest, was his homeland where he was born. When his mother, Charla died, his father took him to Scythe Plains, where Draco's grandfather was currently serving as a general. _I can't believe it…_ Draco thought in sadness.

"You are excused, my young pupil." Hitmonchan interrupted his thoughts, seeing the pain in Draco's expression. Draco bowed and walked off.

Entering the empty halls of the fortress, he walked through the winding corridors to the back courtyard, where he would meet with Dit, his favorite teacher. But not even Dit could cheer him up today. As he walked around the edge of a corner, he almost ran into an airborne, very familiar Noctowl.

"Whoa!" Draco exclaimed as the Noctowl lighted down in front of him. _It's Talons. Is that tears I see in his eyes? _

"Draco… has you heard?" Talons asked, sadness straining his voice.

All Draco could manage was, "Yes."

Talons continued in a strained voice, "You must not lose hope, Draco. If we all just sat down and gave up, would Chari-Chari become free again? No, rest assured, we will recover Chari-Chari. However dire the situation, never give up."

Draco paused for a moment. _Talons is right. Moping won't get me anywhere. I must never give up hope. _He thought. "I won't." Draco assured, a new fire in his eyes. Talons knew that the Charmander had come to his resolution.

"I am glad you feel that way. Never…give up hope." Talons repeated as he flew off the way Draco had come. With new resolve, Draco continued down the hall and to the back courtyard. Arriving in the lush, green, courtyard, he glanced around for Dit. He was nowhere to be seen.

_Maybe he's in the pond. _Draco thought as he strolled over to the pond, which was surrounded by a stone, majestic looking replica of the Scythe Plains fortress. He peered into the pond, and then he realized what a horrible mistake that was.

A blue and brown skinned, amphibious Swampert jumped upward at him, shooting a jet of water from his toothless maw. Draco screamed in agony as he fell backward. The Swampert pinned him down with the upper hand he had gained. Then, Draco realized what was going on.

"This must be very entertaining to you, Dit." Draco said as the Swampert began to melt away and turn into a strange, formless pink blob. "Of course, Ditto can't transform while laughing." He added.

"You've been studying up on your Ditto, haven't you?" Dit asked shifting his form into that of a Ninjask.

"A little tidbit Talons passed on to me last night." Draco replied, smiling.

"Talons just wants you to get me to laugh because he never could. He was never too funny, and he still isn't." Dit whispered, making sure Talons wasn't watching. "Anyway, I attacking you as Swampert actually pertains to today's lesson. Last time, we went over your strengths. This time, we are going to go over your weaknesses."

"Weaknesses, like Swampert?" Draco questioned.

Dit nodded. "We will be going over how to deal with Pokemon like that. What techniques to use, like metal claw and hidden power. Metal claw you already know, but hidden power is new to you. Now, let's see how your metal claw has been developing. I trust Master Chan has been drilling you on it?"

Draco didn't even wait for Dit to make the call. He slashed at a nearby boulder with claws that were suddenly interlaced with metal. Dit, now a Charmander, applauded with his stubby arms.

"Very good, I see you have been practicing. Now it's time to move onto your hidden power." Dit explained.

"Hidden power?" Draco asked, as confused as when Hitmonchan hit him with a dynamic punch.

"Yes. It's a power inside you that can be projected into energy and launched at your enemies. Any Pokemon can master it easily. Your hidden power is a type of move that targets your weaknesses and helps to eliminate them. I have been studying yours for a long time, as anyone can tell what type yours is by looking at your aura." Dit continued.

"What type is my hidden power?" Draco asked in interest.

"Yours is a grass hidden power, which is effective against all of your weaknesses. Why don't you give it a try?" Dit asked.

"I can use it just like that?" Draco said, startled.

"It's easy; all you have to do is project your aura from inside of you and create energy. Go ahead and try." Dit encouraged.

Draco nodded as he held his hands out and concentrated. _Project… my aura… into energy… _All of the sudden, a ball of energy formed at his fingertips, the color of a new spring leaf. Letting loose the energy, it skimmed the pond and destroyed the scale model of the Scythe Plains fortress. "Whoops, I'm so sorry Dit!" He exclaimed, stepping back.

"Oh, it's fine; I destroy that thing on accident all the time. No harm done. That was quite the hidden power. Now let's try it again, only this time we will…" Dit cut himself off at the sound of a loud horn sounding throughout the fortress.

"Oh great, it's a lockdown! I've got to get to the troops. They only issue lockdowns if Shrouded Soldiers are right on our doorstep! Darkrai must be getting pretty bold. You'd better get back to your room and stay there until the lockdown is over." Dit ordered.

Without any argument, Draco said his goodbyes and climbed a few flights of stairs to his room, the same three words ringing through his mind over and over:

_Never give up. _

As Draco opened the door to his bunk room, he was greeted by Blade, still slightly scorched from their previous mission, Razor, and Ace.

"Are you happy to get away from Hitmonchan?" Blade asked.

Draco nodded and said, "Actually, he had business to take care of so I got an extra session with Dit." He replied.

"Lucky!" Razor whined. "I was stuck doing chores!"

"I got to train with Master Swally." Ace chimed in, referring to the Swellow who directed training for the bird Pokemon of Scythe Plains.

Draco plopped onto his bunk, exhausted. "So what are we going to do for the rest of the lockdown?" He asked, staring at the bunk above him.

"Just sit and talk I guess." Blade said, already looking for something else to do.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm up for sleep." Razor yawned, lying on the bunk above Draco. Ace flew up and perched at the end of the room where the window was situated.

"Whoa!" Ace gasped.

"What is it?" Draco asked, sitting up.

"There must be a thousand Shrouded Soldiers out there!" Ace said in awe as the rest of the group came rushing over to see. Indeed there was perhaps a thousand Shrouded Soldiers, all standing behind a wicked looking, dark Pokemon holding a single red banner. The Pokemon wore a torn red cape and had flowing white hair. It was the very embodiment of evil.

"It's Darkrai!" Draco growled, rage already rising in his stomach. The room fell silent as they stared down the very Pokemon that had murdered their fathers.

"He has some nerve showing up here." Razor growled. "Our soldiers will tear his apart."

All of the sudden, a Ninjask burst into the room, zipped over to the window and closed the blinds.

"Hey, what gives?" Blade asked in outrage.

"No windows are permitted to be open during lockdown." The Ninjask replied as it zipped out of the room."

An awkward silence followed. "What now?" Blade asked.

And nobody replied.

**How did you like it? I think this is really a turning point in the development of Draco's character. So I will probably not update until Thursday, but it will probably be a double update as I will have a lot of time on my hands but unfortunately no internet unless I go into town. I probably will end up doing so, but I might not get internet. So until next time, please review my story and stay tuned for further updates!**


	5. Alone: Part 1: The Decision

**Ok, so this chapter may be posted sooner, or later depending on my internet situation. I currently have the first main chunk of the story planned out on paper, and it's possible we might see a new mystery begin to unfold soon. Speaking of mystery, what do you think of this "Ultimate Power" thing with Darkrai and Weavile? As the story progresses, you'll hear much more of that. Anyways, in this chapter we see some old faces (Well as old as a four chapter stories characters can get) and we see more characterization in Blade, Ace, Razor, and Talons. Without further ado, here it is!**

**Scythe Plains Fortress**

**Draco's Bunks**

It was many more hours until the lockdown ended. Draco, Razor, Blade, and Ace were all bored out of their minds that they hardly even noticed the day turning to night. Blade, impatient as he was, was climbing around the room in anticipation. Razor, adding to his laziness, simply slept, ate, and complained. If he didn't the others would think something was wrong with him. Ace dug into his books, while Draco simply sat and thought about recent times. And of course, what their next course of action would be.

Of course, they were to be expected to take on more training missions to work their way up the ranks, but there was also something else that troubled him. _I have to help Chari-Chari! _Draco thought. Though he had not given up hope, he was filled with the burning desire to save his homeland. True, he hardly remembered the place, but the memories he had were good ones. His father…his mother… and one figure that puzzled him. He remembered a Camerupt that was always lounging around the cozy cave he lived in. He never could recall his name, but he had never asked his father about it.

_Maybe I could ask Talons! He was always around the house! _Just as the thought crossed his mind, the Ninjask burst in yet again.

"Lockdown is over! Proceed amongst your normal duties!" The Ninjask didn't even hesitate as he slammed the door and buzzed about his business.

Blade groaned, "Finally!" Gathering up his things, he was about to leave the room when the door opened again. Except, this time, it was Talons. The Noctowl looked weary, as he had been leading the defense against the Shrouded Soldiers. He had a large bandage wrapped around one side of his face, hiding a wound that would have horrified most.

"Ace, you must come for your advanced flight training. Draco, Razor, and Blade, you have to… is he still asleep?" Talons began but then stopped when he saw Razor passed out and snoring on his bed.

Blade shrugged and said, "We'll wake him up. Might take a while though… anyway, what were you saying?"

Talons flew over Draco, who was now on his feet. "You three will pick out a mission for tomorrow. I want nothing less than a first class, high risk mission. It's time we get serious." With that, he flew out, gesturing for Ace to follow.

Ace perched next to Blade before he left. "Please, whatever you do, don't pick out a place with electric Pokemon." Without another word, he flew after Talons.

Draco was puzzled. _So the missions we have already done were not serious? What about the Mightyena and Magmar? We nearly died, and now he expects more? _He turned to Blade, who was nudging Razor awake to no avail. Angered, Blade shot a stream of seeds from his mouth at the penguin Pokemon.

"YEOWCH!" Razor screamed, sitting up and shooting a stream of water from his beak. The assault knocked Blade aside, but did little more than rattle the gecko. "What was that for?" Razor demanded, standing over the fallen Blade.

"You weren't waking up!" Blade replied, and Draco could not help to laugh. Razor and Blade always argued with each other like two Swampert over their territory. It seemed that most of the time it was pretty funny to Draco. At least, until things started to really heat up.

"So you attack me?" Razor growled.

Blade laughed casually. "Yes." He said in a strikingly calm voice.

"Guys?" Draco interjected. Razor turned to Draco, angered.

"Stay out of this, Draco! This is between Blade and I!" Razor seethed, as he turned back to Blade. "As I was saying…" The Piplup was cut off by a burst of flame that suddenly singed him and Blade.

"HOT, HOT, HOT!" Blade screamed, reeling backwards in agony. Razor too was in pain, though not as much as the Treecko who was susceptible to fire attacks.

"Guys, _listen_! We have to go down to the mission boards and pick out a job!" Draco yelled at the two, silencing them both.

Blade, scratching the burn on his left leg, nodded in agreement. "That's what I was trying to tell you in the first place, Razor!"

"But you didn't have to attack me!" Razor shot back, quieting himself when he saw the glare steaming in Draco's eyes.

"Can't we just have one day without any argument!" Draco said to no one in particular as the three left their bunk rooms.

The three Pokemon had to cross through the now bustling halls of Scythe Plains Fortress. Many Pokemon were eager to get out of their rooms and do something, much unlike Razor. It took them almost a half an hour to get through the dark stone corridors and to a small, almost vacant room with only a few other Pokemon standing about, studying the large boards on the back wall.

"So what kind of mission should we pick?" Blade asked, gesturing to the boards on the wall.

"We should follow Ace's advice and find a place without electric type Pokemon." Razor scoffed.

Draco walked over to the board, studying it intently. _Let's see… maybe an escort mission. An unprotected caravan stranded out in the Canyon lands… no, not risky enough. Maybe we can track down an outlaw. Maybe… Oh no…_

"Mightyena and Magmar?" Blade gasped. Indeed, the mug shots of the two criminals were posted on the board, looking even more menacing on the parchment it was printed upon.

"Figures they would be wanted, seeing how they ambushed us." Razor commented. "If I know one thing, it's that it would be best if we didn't take that mission."

Silently agreeing, the three Pokemon went about searching for their mission. Their priority was escort missions with a higher than normal risk level. Most of the ones they found had low risks and meager awards. Most of the missions were designed for younger trainees, not generals in training. It took great effort to find a mission 'hardcore' enough.

It was a high risk escort mission, a family of young Pokemon wanting to get to the Desert of Bones to the north. Threats included outlaws and thieves, a dangerous route only for the most superb trainees. It was also a rarely traveled Shrouded Soldier route. Though Talons didn't advise against it, they decided to go with a Shrouded Soldier route because it would prove their worth as much as any general could.

Taking all the needed paperwork to Talons study, a very bird friendly one at that, they encountered Talons tutoring Ace on the advanced flying tactics he had mentioned earlier.

When Draco, Razor, and Blade arrived, Talons accepted the paperwork and told Ace, "Continue your drill, Ace, while I tend to your missions paperwork." As Ace began doing a complicated spin maneuver that brought him in a loop around the study, Talons put on his reading glasses and began to study the paper intently. Nodding to himself and muttering a few comments, Draco gazed nervously at the Noctowl hoping he had impressed his mentor.

"Hmmm…. These are very good credentials, Draco. I see you have worked hard on them. Now tell me, what time do you plan to leave?" Talons asked.

"As soon as possible, sir, the more ground we cover means more distance from Shrouded Soldiers when the day ends." Draco explained.

"Very well, Ace, come, we are leaving for our mission. The family should be meeting us at the rendezvous point in Chari-Chari. Are you four ready?" Talons said as Ace stopped his flying exercise and perched next to Draco, Blade, and Razor.

"Yes sir!" The four trainees said simultaneously.

"Alright then, I will meet you down in the courtyard. I need to discuss something with King Arceus regarding my absence for the next two days." Talons told them as he began to fly out of the room.

Draco paused. King Arceus was the king of Scythe Plains, a beacon of freedom to all the oppressed people in the known world. _Does that mean Talons is sacrificing time he could spend leading our military to help us? _Draco pondered.

"Draco, snap out of it! We need to stock up on supplies!" Razor growled, breaking Draco's train of thought.

"Oh… ok. Let's go." Draco said reluctantly, exiting the room along with his friends.

"I know that foolish Mightyena will not be able to carry out my plans. That is why I want you two to finish them for me." Weavile stood atop a high mountain between Shrouded Plains and the great cliffs to the north. He wore a cloak to conceal his identity. Standing before him was two dragons, one a three headed, jagged winged, blue and black colored beast, while the other stood on two sharply clawed feet, wore dark green scales, and had two axe like blades serving as its jaw.

"What's in it for us? We have no quarrel with Scythe Plains. Unless you have something to offer…" The dark blue dragon, a Hydreigon replied.

Weavile took out a sack of gold pieces and placed it in front of the dragons. The green dragon, a Haxorus, smiled greedily. "Is this price enough for you?" Weavile asked with a contorted smile, which ran into a long scar stretching across his face.

"We'll take it. What is our task?" The Hydreigon implored.

"Well, as most know, you are the terrifying duo of assassins, Drei and Hax. Your prowess in your field is so amazing, that you have even been hired by the 'great' Master Darkrai for many special tasks. However, this task could brand you in the eyes of Shrouded Plains as a traitor, and mark you until the day comes when a new ruler steps in. This, at the rate my plans are going, will be pretty soon…" Weavile explained.

"You don't mean…?" Hax the Haxorus asked.

"Yes, soon, I will be ruler of Shrouded Plains. That fool Darkrai has no idea what he is doing. For my plan to work anyway, he has to die at some point, so it might as well be at my hand. But your task will be far simpler in concept." Weavile replied.

"What must we do?" Drei the Hydreigon implored once again.

Weavile turned away from them. "Colonel Talons. He knows the identity of the one gifted by Reshiram. He also has the knowledge I seek. I want you to find him and bring him to me. Do take care to keep him alive though. Also, there will be a Charmander traveling with him. He, quite possibly is the one I seek." Weavile turned back to them. "Go, now! And when you return, the world shall be in my clutches!"

**Update: I'm really sorry guys. I thought I would have time to type more chapters on my trip, but I really didn't have much time at all. Sorry the chapter came two weeks late! I really didn't have proper motivation to type this chapter as nothing really happens, but I felt this chapter was necessary. Anyway, this is part of a probable three part arc. I should have the next part up next week! I hope you are enjoying my story and please review to let me know what you think about my story! Thank you all for your support!**


	6. Special Episode 1: Chari Chari

**Ok, so instead of posting a new chapter, I decided to take a look into the past of Draco so the readers of the story will not be lost when I introduce some new characters. Anyway, so this is set years before the current story, and a lot has changed since. Draco is just a little Charmander, only a couple of days old when this begins. A lot of interesting characters are introduced in this chapter, at least in my opinion. So stay tuned after this for the next installment of the **_**Alone **_**Saga. **

**Chari-Chari **

**5 years ago…**

"Claws, dear, has Talons returned yet? I'm getting hungry." Charla, the beloved wife of Claws, asked, cradling a sleeping Charmander in her arms. Claws stood in the far side of the cave, watching the skies outside. The midday sun illuminated the inside of the cave, at least to an extent. In another corner, an orange furred creature with three lumps on its back, a Camerupt, and also a purple and white chandelier, albeit a living one, with yellow eyes and purple fire rising from his body.

"He should be back soon. You won't have to wait much longer." Claws replied, turning to Charla. The Camerupt yawned, waking up from his long sleep. The Camerupt groaned in exhaustion.

"What's going on? Is Talons back yet?" The Camerupt spoke drowsily. Claws turned back to the cave mouth as the Pokemon awaited reply.

"Actually, yes he is." Claws smiled as the Noctowl appeared over the horizon. The owl Pokemon carried a small sack, presumably filled to the brim with food. Talons quickly swooped down and perched next to Claws, his lifelong friend. "Hello my friend. Is there any news from the town?" The Charizard asked.

Talons sighed. "I'm afraid we won't be getting any news from the locals anymore, seeing how the Shrouded Soldiers have taken it and turned it into a military outpost." He explained.

"Uncle, you're back!" The little Charmander exclaimed, running from his mother's arms to the edge of the cave where Talons and Claws stood.

"Hello, Draco. How are you doing today?" Talons asked, bringing his face down to level with the baby Pokemon.

"I'm doing great! Did you talk to Mr. Beak in town today? Is Ace coming over?" Draco replied.

"I'm afraid Beak and his family had to move away from the village to escape the soldiers." Talons revealed. Draco's expression suddenly changed from eager and happy to downcast and sad.

"Oh… ok… will I ever see Ace again?" Draco questioned.

Claws smiled at his son. "Don't worry Draco; I'm sure we can go see Ace wherever he moved to."

The Charmander's face lit back up again. "Thank you, Dad!" Draco embraced his father happily.

"Oh, so your Aunt Lulu doesn't get a hug from her favorite nephew?" The chandelier Pokemon in the corner, a Chandelure, said with a broad smile.

Draco ran over to Lulu and gave her a big hug, The Camerupt next to her grunting in approval.

"What about me?" The old Camerupt asked. Draco smiled and hugged him too. The aged Pokemon smiled as he broke away when Talons tossed a bag of Oran berries next to his mother. Draco and Charla munched on the berries happily. Claws walked over to Camerupt and Lulu and spoke:

"Can we talk to you outside?"

"They're coming." Claws said with a depressed look on his face. He, Talons, Camerupt, and Lulu were standing a couple of yards away from their cave, which was carved into the side of a large cliff.

Camerupt could hardly bring himself to speak. All his life he lived in Chari-Chari, and now the land was to be taken. "Eighty long years Lulu and I have lived here. We can and will not abandon it. It is all we have." The Camerupt said with a steely resolve in his eyes.

Claws sighed. "You know what, old friend? You are just as stubborn as Trident. No offense, my friend, but you knew this would happen one day. You knew that Weavile would finally catch up to you."

"I think he knows best, Camerupt." Lulu said with sadness. "Especially considering what you did to Weavile."

"NO!" Camerupt roared, shaking the whole cliff side. "I don't care! I'm going to protect my home. Lulu, you have to go with Claws. It's the only way for you to survive!"

"You know I won't leave without you. If you stay, I stay." Lulu smiled, but Camerupt did not return it.

"You know I won't let you stay." He replied.

"Enough!" Talons growled. They all turned to look at him. "I know you two have lived here your whole life, but stop bickering for one moment and think! Weavile will have no mercy! You two know that! And Claws, where do you even plan to go? Do you plan to go to the desert? Stream the Tyranitar has a firm hold over it, and he will show even less mercy than Weavile!"

"We are going to Scythe Plains." Claws said solemnly. The group went silent.

Camerupt spoke first. "Claws… are you sure?"

"Yes. My grandfather has offered me refuge there." Claws replied.

"But wouldn't Weavile just follow you there?" Lulu asked.

Claws shook his head. "Though Weavile does hold a small grudge against me, it's not me he wants. He wants you two, which is why I am staying to help as long as I can. Talons, I want you to escort Charla and Draco and Charla to Spear Forest. But my first responsibility is to my family. I want little Draco to grow up to see a better world. I don't care if I die. I want my family to survive. That is why I want you two to get out of here."

A single tear shed from Camerupt's eye, while dozens streamed from Lulu's. The Chandelure was soon bawling and hugging Claws.

"Pleasssseeeeee! Don't leaveeeeeeeee! I will miss you soooooooooo muchhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Lulu cried. Claws smiled. "I will miss you two. But I most go. Weavile should be here by tonight. We have to pack the remainder of our things and go."

Camerupt nudged Claws in the side. "I'm going to miss you, friend." A tear came from Claws eye.

"I will miss you to… Uncle…" The Charizard smiled.

"Why are we leaving, mommy?" Draco asked modestly. Her, Draco, Claws, and Talons stood before Lulu and Camerupt.

"We'll come back some day, Draco." Charla encouraged, though she knew in her heart that would not be possible.

"I'm going to miss you my little Champ." Camerupt smiled. Draco ran to hug Camerupt, when suddenly Claws shouted.

"They are here! Charla, get Draco out of here! Talons, you must go as well!" Claws yelled. The three Pokemon complied, one too young to know what was going on, and the others not wishing to face colonel Weavile.

Claws stood his ground next to Lulu and Camerupt. The two Pokemon had always been there for the Charizard, even during the impossible. Now they were not only like his parents, but his comrades in a perhaps final battle. Claws could see three Salamence flying overhead, circling them like sharks that flew in the skies. But not only that, perched upon the lead Salamence was none other than Weavile. Glancing backwards, he could see Charla and the others were at least a mile away. Smiling on the inside, he turned back to his foes.

"Here they come!" Lulu spoke crazily, in which she likely was. Both Claws and Camerupt always questioned her sanity, but overall she was a great friend, though not always rational as the rest of them.

Camerupt stood his ground as well, saying nothing, allowing small amounts of lava to spill from the pours on top of the volcano like lumps on his back.

Soon, the Salamence landed before them, all of them laughing maniacally. Weavile leapt off and put his hand up, silencing the evil dragons behind him. With his raised hand, a swirl of icy energy began to form in it.

"Hello, General Camerupt, Colonel Lulu. Oh, and what a surprise, its sergeant Claws. How very pleasant. Old enemies all assembled here to pick off one by one." Weavile said calmly, his cold and decisive personality infuriating the three Pokemon who stood for good.

"Cut to the chase, Weavile. We know why you're here!" Camerupt spoke impatiently.

Weavile's mouth formed a twisted smile. "Chase? Oh, no, there will be no chasing. Your end will be…" Weavile stopped all of the sudden and went into his fighting stance. "Precise." Weavile shot the bolt of ice into the sky, but it was not aimed at Claws, Lulu, or Camerupt. Rather, it was aimed at the Noctowl flying some distance away in the sky.

Claws realized what was happening. "NO!" He screamed, rising up in the air to intercept the ice bolt. But it was too late.

"No, Talons!" Charla screamed as Talons began to fall to the ground far below, half frozen and at the brink of fainting. Draco was squirming in her clutches, wanting to help his owl Pokemon friend.

"Go! Go before he gets here!" Talons yelled as he plummeted. He hit the ground and fell unconscious. Charla continued to fly, angered and saddened at the same time. She was so distracted with her anger that she didn't notice a Salamence fly up behind her. By time she saw the one who was standing upon the dragon, it was much too late.

Weavile smiled, charging up a dark energy bolt. Releasing his stored power, he shot it at the airborne Charizard, who fell almost instantly, clutching onto Draco tightly. She hit the ground close to Talons, Draco still in her arms as she panted heavily. Talons was just beginning to wake up when Weavile landed next to Charla. He could hardly move, thanks to the ice encasing him.

Off in the distance, Lulu and Camerupt were fighting a losing battle against two Salamence. They were clearly outmatched by the dragons. _If only there was some way I could help… wait… Is that Claws? _

In truth, Claws was speeding down towards them, flustered with anger. The fire lizard landed before Weavile, whose sharp claws were already pointed at Charla's throat. The moon was seemingly blackened at this moment.

"Well… I see we are at a standoff here." Weavile said in a sing song voice.

"If you so much as touch any of them, I will… Draco, don't!" Claws realized what was happening. Draco was inhaling a mouthful of air behind Weavile, ready to set the sadistic colonel ablaze. Weavile swiveled towards Draco, seeing it was too late to dodge. The weak flame was whizzing toward him. As powerful as the ice Pokemon was, he was not sure he could withstand much of any fire attack.

That's why it made no sense when he turned and ignored it. The flame bounced off an invisible surface, sputtering uselessly on the ground.

Weavile laughed. "It's called the 'protect' technique. You should have really taught the boy more lessons on Pokemon moves." Turning to Charla, he raised his claw, and blood spattered across the ground.

"NO!" Claws screamed, launching a powerful barrage of flames at Weavile. This time, he had no time to use the protect technique. Weavile flew for what seemed like ten seconds before finally crashing to the ground with a thud.

Claws ran over to Charla. He attempted to force feed his wife a berry, but the cut in her chest was too deep. Claws began to cry in despair.

Charla mouthed something to his husband. "Save Draco…" She said weakly. Then, Claws realized what he must do.

"I'm sorry, Charla… I should have been here to save you…" Claws spoke hoarsely, his voice lost.

"No… you did not fail… you will succeed… by saving our son… If only we could have done the same with our daughter…" Charla smiled. "Go now… and never forget… the destiny Draco holds within him… with it, I know he will stop Darkrai's tyranny."

"Your death will not be in vain, my wife…" After Claws spoke those final words, Charla had died. Claws stood and looked at his wife's broken body. He wanted to stay with Charla forever… but he had a job to do.

"Claws, come on let's go! Weavile's coming back!" Talons said, now unfrozen thanks to the blast of fire Claws had shot at Weavile. Claws picked up the now collapsed Draco and began to fly, Talons not far behind.

"What about Charla? Is she…" Talons asked.

Claws only looked back at the scene of battle, where Camerupt and Lulu were surrounded by Salamence. And at the resting place of his wife, where a very angry Weavile stood, staring at the airborne Charizard.

Claws nodded, and then put his head down in shame. "There is still hope. A new generation of heroes will right the wrongs that the Shrouded Soldiers have caused. And then hopefully, my son can grow up in an era of peace."

**The Aftermath**

"Is she… gone?" Lulu asked, standing sadly over the deceased Charla's body. She and Camerupt were horribly battered and bruised, but as soon as Claws had defeated Weavile, though not entirely, the soldiers departed. Camerupt looked sadly at Claws wife.

"I can feel it. Her heart is no longer breathing. She is no longer with us." Camerupt looked up at the now shining sun. "But it's a new day, I can feel it. Though Charla might have left this world, she will not die in vain. After all, all of that talk of Claws about a new generation of heroes… I have a feeling Shrouded Soldiers will leave Chari-Chari alone for a long time. We will bury Charla, and the day this war ends, I can promise you- will be soon. I can feel it."

**This is possibly the favorite chapter I have written yet. Though I feel this chapter is pretty saddening in the end, I really liked how this one turned out. Oh yeah, Camerupt's "I can feel it." Is supposed to be repetitive, as it will be a quote he use often, due to his unique fire-ground typing, he is proud of his connection to the earth. His earth feeling abilities remind of Toph in **_**Avatar: The Last Airbender. Overall, I thought this story had to be told eventually, and since the next chapter directly relates to this one, I figured I would tell it now. Let me know what you think of this chapter and other by reviewing this story! Please do, because fan input helps fuel this story! **_


	7. Alone: Part 2: Old Friends

**Ok, so I have some pretty big plans for this chapter. Expect some new characters in this second part. I'm planning for this to be a three part arc, and the third part being a huge turning point in the story, though not noticeable until the chapter after that. Anyway, here is a quick recap: Draco, Razor, Ace, and Blade assign themselves a new mission under order of Talons. The mission involves escorting a family of Nidoran to the desert to be safe from the oppression in Chari-Chari. Without further ado, here is my next chapter!**

**Spear Forest- Outskirts**

"I'm hungry!" A plump, red colored Nidoran moaned as he trudged along his companions, three other Nidoran in varying colors and the mother, a light blue, small horned Nidorina. Draco groaned as the young Nidoran began babbling randomly. Though Draco was normally fond of kids, these four Nidoran just gave him a headache.

The group had been traveling for at least a day now, and the progress was not at all satisfactory. They had to stop extra early so the children could rest, meaning around dinner time, and after that, they called it a day. Talons, Draco could tell, was getting very stressed. Though he could not be sure, he was pretty certain that the Noctowl was torn between helping Draco and his friends, or leading the military forces of his nation.

It was midmorning now, and the sun shone brightly over them as they traversed the harsh terrain of Chari-Chari, the result of many years of volcanic eruptions. Talons had explained to the group that the land was riddled with many active volcanoes, and they would have to stick close to them so they could evade Shrouded Soldier attack. With the Nidoran children, attracting attention would not be hard. So they needed every edge on their side.

So far, as Blade had made clear, they had not passed any villages. Talons had stated that the villages were few and far between in the volcanic wasteland, making it easy for Shrouded Soldiers to slip in, unnoticed and take the village quietly. However, they had come across the ruins of one village, signaling that Shrouded Soldiers were in the vicinity. Though this had put Draco, Razor, Blade, and Ace on their toes, it seemingly did nothing to help with silencing the Nidoran.

"Now, Now, dears, we'll be stopping for lunch soon." The Nidorina whispered in contrary to the loud and boisterous voices of her children.

"But I'm hungry now!" The Nidoran whined, and the whine echoed throughout the plain. Draco and the others cringed, thinking that Shrouded Soldiers would find them any moment.

"Nido, you need to be quieter. We don't want the bad Pokemon to find us." Nidorina pleaded. The Nidoran children grew quieter, but still too loud for the rest of the group's case.

Blade walked up to Draco and said, "What do you think? Only a matter of time before Shrouded Soldiers finds us?"

"Hopefully not, I'm not in any hurry to face them again." Draco replied.

Ace glided gently next to them. "I don't know about you two, but this heat is really getting to me. Where are those caves Draco and I used to live in?" The bird Pokemon asked.

"They must be further back then I remember." Draco said in return.

Razor, still half asleep, trudged lazily behind them. He had volunteered as 'rear guard', only so he could slack off and not have to walk as fast. But being behind the Nidoran children, Razor almost wanted to go back up front with the others. When the Nidoran got quieter, he began to hear something, a noise that he only seemed to notice. Sort of like chanting or marching. But it didn't sound like any marching drill in Scythe Plains. He had heard this noise before, long ago, but he just couldn't place his mind on it.

"Hey guys, do you hear that?" Razor spoke groggily like he had just woken up. Talons, Draco, Blade, and Ace all turned toward Razor.

"Do we hear what?" Draco asked, clearly confused. Talons flew closer to Razor, trying to pinpoint the sound.

"It's marching, Shrouded Soldier marching." Talons gasped. He turned to the now stopped group. "I need to check this out. They are heading to the last free stronghold in Chari-Chari. I can hear it. And now, I can see it." He was right, off in the distance, they could now see a file of Shrouded Soldiers, Blastoise, Bisharp, and Rhydon all marching in their ranks, clad in red and black armor.

"What should we do?" Blade spoke, breaking the silence.

Talons sighed. "I was afraid it would have to come to this. Your four… and the clients… have to push on ahead."

"What?" Razor questioned, not comfortable with the notion of being left in a land crawling with Shrouded Soldiers.

"With all due respect, Uncle, we won't be able to make it on our own with all these soldiers out here!" Draco explained.

"You don't understand Draco; the remainders of people in Chari-Chari who are not oppressed by Darkrai are in that stronghold. Word needs to get out to Scythe Plains of what is going on. I have to help as much as I can by helping to defend the stronghold. I need to do this for the welfare of Chari-Chari and the world. I'm going, and there is nothing you can do to stop me." With that, Talons began to fly away. "I will meet with you at the Spear Forests north gate after you finish your mission." And then he was gone.

Blade was the one to break the silence once again. "Did he just leave us?" He asked.

"Apparently he did." Ace replied.

"So… what do we do now?" Razor inquired.

Draco spoke firmly, taking control. "We finish the mission."

"What?" Razor said in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, we've gotten this far, and if you want to go home, you can just ask the nice Shrouded Soldier crossing guards to make a path through the battlefield back to Spear Forest." Draco smiled, continuing to walk ahead.

"What happened to you back there?" Ace flew up beside Draco later in the day. Blade and Razor hung back with the Nidoran and Nidorina, both the Treecko and Piplup not making eye contact with each other. The group had been marching for hours since Talons had left them, the sun now much higher above their heads.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, confused.

"When you took charge like that. In Spear Forest, you did the same thing. But normally, you are so shy and modest. What's been up with you?" Ace explained.

The Charmander sighed. "It's just… ever since my father died… I've been trying my hardest to become a good leader like him. I want to fulfill his legacy."

"You're not the only one." Ace smiled. "All of us have been trying our hardest, even Razor! But we have such big shoes to fill. I'm afraid we will never be as great as them."

Draco simply nodded, and then took a look at the sun. It was very close to setting, right above the volcanoes that dominated the horizon. He turned to the rest of the group behind them. "It's getting late, and the children are tired. We should stop for dinner."

That set off the Nidoran children. They began to whine about how bad the dinner was the night before. Draco sighed, infuriated with the children's complaints. The rest of the group, equally aggravated, began to set up camp, while Draco took food out from their food bag. One of the Nidoran loped up to Draco.

"Don't tell me we have to just eat Oran berries again! I want poffin!" The Nidoran complained.

"Yes." Draco seethed. "We _are_ having Oran berries again."

It was about midnight when Draco heard it. It was a small, faraway sound. It was a noise that could be dismissed as a simple trick of the mind. But this was no trick. It was real. And Draco had to find out what it was. Crawling out from underneath his blanket, he slowly crept past the sleeping Nidoran and of course, Blade, Razor, and Ace. He grabbed a torch from his bag and lit it with a small, lukewarm ember. Now equipped, the Charmander tip-toed away from the camp.

As he made distance away from the camp, the noise became louder. It was a soft, yet loud, grunt that seemed to echo across the scorched plains. Even more intent on finding its source, Draco began to move faster. As he moved further, he could see the dim outline of a figure in the distance. It was a large, threatening looking creature, with two pairs of legs and a large lump protruding from its back.

_Shrouded Soldier? _Draco thought, preparing for an attack. Indeed, the Pokemon began lumbering toward him, getting closer by the minute. In the light of the torch, he could see it more clearly now. After about five minutes, the Pokemon entered the torch light. Before Draco even began to analyze it anymore, he began channeling his hidden power through his veins, and projecting a green sphere of energy between his fingertips.

Satisfied with the charge, he released the energy, striking the Pokemon dead on. To his surprise, the Pokemon yelped and stopped charging.

"Hey, whoa, is that how you greet your uncle? And one that's blind in the first place? What is that old coot Talons teaching you anyway?" The Pokemon, now visible as an orange, camel like creature with two volcano like protrusions on his back.

"Uncle… are you…" Draco stammered. The Pokemon laughed.

"Why of course, why don't you give your uncle Camerupt a big hug?" The camel Pokemon smiled as Draco embraced him warmly.

"It's so great to see you! Dad said he hadn't heard from you since we left Chari-Chari! What have you been doing, where Lulu? How have you been?" Draco bombarded the ancient Camerupt with questions.

"Settle down, one at a time! As for Lulu, why don't you come and see yourself?" Camerupt beamed.

"Oh, well… about that… I have friends back there, and…" Draco was cut off by the old camel Pokemon.

"Don't worry, we won't be long! We will be back before daybreak." Camerupt smiled, turning away.

Draco hurried quickly after him. He was so intent on following Camerupt; he did not notice the two Pokemon skulking among the rocks above the camp. If he had simply glanced to the right, he would avoid a catastrophe that would save him and his friends. But his gave never broke away from Camerupt. And Mightyena and Magmar's plan began to unfold.

**I can't believe I left you guys without a chapter since July! I'm really sorry for the delay; I've just been really busy. This is probably my last update before school starts again, so I hope you **_**hang**_** on until the next chapter. After the **_**Alone **_**saga ends, the story is going to split. Due to the difficulty of writing about four different main charecters at the same time and promoting their own personal growth, I've decided to narrow it down a little bit. **

**But never fear, as before I decide which charecters to drop from the main cast, I will do four special episodes, each pertaining to a different member of the group: Razor, Blade, Ace, and Talons. Please review the story and also, while doing so, I'm open to suggestions about which character should go on hiatus (Don't worry, none of them will be killed off.)**

**As for me posting more chapters, I'm definitely going to finish this series. There is no doubt about it. Once this story is wrapped up, which I'm hoping for it to be done by next summer or earlier, I will begin the next in this planned trilogy: **_**Overrun. **_**This story will take place directly after the events of this story. Then finally, I will redo my sequel to the original series, **_**A Shadow Looms. **_**I don't really have any plans after that, but I can assure you I will probably do some sort of continuation. Thank you all for your support!**


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